


In The Past

by orphan_account



Category: The Yogscast
Genre: Shadow of Israphel, just a lil' implied mass murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-13
Updated: 2015-12-13
Packaged: 2018-05-06 15:15:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5421812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Having traveled back in time with a device designed to save his friend, Honeydew discovers that getting him home is going to require a little more work than he had hoped.</p><p>(The Vault of Lost Stories is a collection of unrelated short stories, all in one place for your convenience)</p>
            </blockquote>





	In The Past

“It’s not your fault.”

Honeydew stood where the light began to wane, staring tiredly into the darkness. The snow that usually blanketed Skyhold had melted in the unnatural heat of the fires below, leaving puddles, ankle-deep in places, soaking into the rough sandstone floors.

“Xeph, please. I know you blame yourself but you didn’t choose this.” Honeydew said softly. “ _You_ didn’t do _any_ of this.”

“They will never forgive me.” Xephos’ voice rang, tired and broken to a million pieces, in the back of his mind.

“Maybe not, but it don’t matter. The device’ll be charged soon, we can go back to Yoglabs.”

“I’m not going. I don’t deserve it…”

“Now that’s bollocks if I ever heard it.” Honeydew crossed his arms. He knew Xephos could see him, even if it didn’t work likewise, and made sure his manner was extra stern. “’Cause I know, and maybe you know too, that the only thing you don’t deserve is this. ‘Cause Xephos is a good person, ‘cause he never did any of this-” Honeydew motioned over the edge to the ruins below, “-’Cause Xephos isn’t and never was Israphel.”

“I remember.” Was the only reply Xephos gave. Something shifted in the structure of the unnatural darkness, as if it was attempting to curl into itself. Honeydew let his arms fall to his sides.

“Please stop hiding, Xeph.”

“I can’t. _I can’t_.” Xephos’ voice was like a bad radio transmission, and only got worse. “I can’t look at myself. I’m so sorry. _I’m so sorry_.”

Honeydew sat down. The water-covered ground soaked into the seat of his pants, but he considered it a small sacrifice. “You don’t have to be.”

“I murdered them all!”

“Israphel murdered them all.” Honeydew pointed out. “You’re not Israphel.”

A sob.

“And you know how I know that?” Honeydew continued. “I know ‘cause Israphel would never sit around for three days feelin’ sorry.”

He waited for some kind of reply, but received only silence.

After what felt like an eternity the darkness shifted again. Honeydew could just barely see a figure near the edge, looking down at the carnage below.

“What do you think…?” Xephos said.

“What do I think what?”

“What do you _think?_ ”

“You’re gonna have to be more specific. I think they’re gonna have one hell of a clean-up job. I think I could really go for a sandwich right now…” Honeydew paused. “I think my best friend should stop hiding and come give me a hug.”

“I can’t.”

“I’m not gonna try to kill you if that’s what you’re worried abou-”

“Traveller! There you are!”

Honeydew turned, Xephos turned - even the entirety of the darkness beside and around them seemed to _turn_ to watch as Skylord Lysander bounce-walked, all prim and proper, down the steps towards them. All at once the spell seemed to _snap_ , and both Xephos and his shroud vanished. Honeydew groaned.

“What was that?” Lysander asked.

“Xephos.” Honeydew said sadly.

“Xephos?” Lysander cocked an eyebrow. “I assume that is something to do with your device and your plans?”

“Somewhat.”

“Then I shall stay out of it. I only come to tell you that your device is fully charged, and should be detached from Skyhold’s power supply before it drains too much. Don’t want to fall from the sky, now.”

“Thanks, Lysander.”

“Not a problem.”

With that he was off, bouncing back up the steps and vanishing from sight. Honeydew glanced back over the edge, then at the spot once shrouded by magic.

“Xephos…?” He tried, and wasn’t disappointed to receive no reply; he hadn’t expected anything.

 ----

Honeydew found Xephos atop the highest tower in Skyhold. He gave no indication that he heard Honeydew call his name, but wasn’t hiding anymore, which was an improvement.

“It’s a nice view…” Honeydew commented, plopping himself down and dangling his feet off of the edge. “Not sayin’ I like what I see, but it’s pretty…”

Xephos, as usual, didn’t reply. He kept staring off toward where the sun was sinking below the desert, where laid the skeleton of the dragon and the smouldering heaps of metal that at one time had been great machines; where the sand flowed through a breach in the Wall to cover the rooftops of Icaria and flow through the streets to bury the bodies itself.

“Lysander says the device is charged.” Honeydew said, swinging his legs. “We can go back to Yoglabs.”

“I can’t.” Xephos repeated, and continued before Honeydew could even open his mouth. “Because I remember. What do you think, Honeydew, what do you think they will do to me there? It has been two-hundred and fifteen years yet I still remember that place.”

“Fix you?” Honeydew guessed. At that, Xephos laughed. It was not his usual telepathic chuckle, no; it was deep, mirthless and chillingly verbal. It was so Israphel-like that Honeydew had to resist the urge to shuffle away.

“They will experiment on me until I die, because that is what Yoglabs was built to do.” Xephos stated. “Because that is what _I_ built it to do…”

“They wouldn’t do that.” Honeydew said, but his voice quavered with uncertainty. Xephos shook his head.

“Leave me. Leave me here and go back alone, if you’re so adamant to rush to your doom. I will stay here and do my best to help those I’ve harmed.”

“I’m not giving up on you.”

“Have you always been this stubborn?”

“Yes, but _you_ haven’t.” Honeydew placed a hand on Xephos’ arm. The fabric of his coat sleeve was shockingly cold beneath his fingers. “Please, Xeph, I want my friend back.”

“Well that’s unfortunate, because Xephos died in the Nether two-hundred years ago.” The air around them seemed to gain a few degrees. “So stop it, stop calling me that _name!_ I don’t _deserve_ it!”

Pain shot up Honeydew’s arm and he drew it away quickly, clapping a hand over the claw marks thereon. Xephos seemed to realise what he’d done a few seconds later.

“Oh no, oh no I’m sorry!”

“’Y didn’t mean it.” Honeydew grunted. He examined his arm, and found that the bleeding was already beginning to slow. Xephos tucked his knees against his chest and wrapped his arms around them. “Now c’mon, we should go get the device before it drops this whole place outta the sky. Don’t think Lysander would be very happy ‘bout that.”

Xephos merely curled in further; it was a wonder he didn’t roll right off the roof.

“Go then, go without me.”

“Shit Xeph I didn’t come all this way to leave you.” Honeydew could feel his annoyance building.

“You don’t get it. I don’t _want_ to go back, _I don’t want to die!_ ” Xephos grasped his own horns. “Is that what you want to hear? I’m _scared_ , OK?”

“No, that ain’t what I want to hear. They’re not going to kill you, or hurt you or anything. Testificate MD said he knew of a way to revert this, that it was simple.” Honeydew looked down at his feet for a few moments before coming to a decision, scooting over, and wrapping Xephos up in a hug - it was like embracing a block of ice. “And you’re coming with me whether you like it or not. Besides, I’m sure you could blast ‘em to oblivion if they do try anything - which they won’t, but if it makes you feel better…”

“It doesn’t.”

Honeydew hit a mental rock and had to navigate around it before continuing. “Well, my point still stands.” He gave Xephos a squeeze before releasing him and standing up. “Now I’m going to go disconnect the device before we all go down.”

“Have fun, dear.” Xephos said, and looked back to the grim scene below. For a second it almost sounded like he was trying to be funny. Honeydew lingered by the ladder for a few seconds too long before sighing and sliding his way down.

**Author's Note:**

> This piece has a little bit of a strange backstory, so if it doesn't make sense then I apologize. To clear at least one thing up, the Xephos and Honeydew described are from the future, and co-exist at the same time as the Old Heroes (A.K.A Xeph and Dew from the past).


End file.
